Fishdom is a mobile game developed by Playrix and released in 2008. It is primarily known as a tile-matching game in which players earn points to decorate virtual aquariums. More than a decade after its release, the game’s online presence expanded beyond gameplay when a dedicated subreddit was created on March 9, 2019. Founded by a Reddit user known as “Jailon Ten,” the community initially appeared to function as a conventional forum for gameplay discussion and group coordination. Over time, however, observers alleged that the subreddit evolved into a hub for cryptic messages, religious themes, and violent imagery, prompting comparisons to cultlike behavior.
Shortly after the subreddit’s creation, users began noting unusual changes in its rules and moderation practices. Community guidelines reportedly required unquestioned participation in subreddit events and included references to illicit substances at in-person gatherings. Concerns increased when moderators pinned a support thread containing phone numbers associated with figures such as Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The numbers, which traced back to Australia and later became non-operational, were viewed by some observers as evidence of a shift toward themes involving radical or anti-social figures.
As 2019 progressed, the forum’s content increasingly focused on historical and religious subjects. Posts frequently referenced the French Revolution, Maximilien Robespierre, and the Cult of the Supreme Being, a short-lived state religion established during the Reign of Terror. Alongside these historical references, administrators published anti-atheist rhetoric and posts interpreted by some readers as encouraging suicide.
In February 2022, moderators launched what became known as the “Chimera Event.” During this period, the subreddit featured heavily manipulated images, references to murder, and text written in Enochian, a language associated with 16th-century occult traditions. Internet researchers later determined that many messages were encrypted using a standard cipher. Some decrypted posts contained geographic coordinates directing users to Ashron Reserve in Melbourne, Australia, along with instructions to bring specific items or photographs. Other coordinates were distributed for locations in Bali, Morocco, French Guiana, and Finland, forming a triangular pattern whose purpose was never verified.
Several months later, on July 5, 2022, a spin-off community called “Our Blood Cross” was created. The new forum generated additional allegations of ritualistic behavior due to automated daily posts containing graphic and disturbing material. The community remained active until it was banned in early 2023.
Analysis of the accounts most closely associated with these activities has led some observers to conclude that the operation was highly coordinated. Similar posting histories, cross-promotional spam campaigns in unrelated forums, and shared links to a Turkish cybersecurity and cryptography website contributed to theories that the network was controlled by a single individual using multiple accounts. Some investigators further speculated that these accounts were connected to the University of Melbourne.
A number of explanations have been proposed regarding the nature of the Fishdom subreddit and its associated communities. Some observers have argued that the group functioned as a covert communication network that used coded messages, poetry, and dead drops to facilitate illicit activities. Others have suggested that it represented an elaborate but unfinished alternate reality game (ARG), while some have interpreted it as evidence of shared religious delusions or severe mental illness among participants. Another theory characterizes the project as a large-scale Internet prank.
Despite extensive speculation, the motivations behind the group remain unconfirmed.